A 63-year-old horse trainer could be stripped of his licence after he was charged by racing stewards over an alleged trackside altercation.
Craig Roberts and his wife, Carolyn, had been racing their two horses at Newcastle two weeks ago when the alleged incident is said to have occurred – though the version of events that are understood to have taken place are being contested.
The pair are understood to have been packing up to head home after their horse Raygun Rocks had finished eighth out of nine runners in the Jets In Business Mdn Plate.
Roberts is subsequently alleged to have been involved in a trackside altercation with a female Racing NSW integrity unit official during the afternoon’s meeting.
He is now facing four racing charges over the alleged incident which could lead to the suspension or loss of his licence. He will appear at an inquiry on Wednesday but is not able to have legal representation during the hearing under racing rules.
Those charges include two counts of engaging in improper behaviour towards an official, as well as further charges of refusing to obey an investigator. The final charge relates to obstructing the investigator from carrying out her duties.
Craig Roberts (pictured with his wife Carolyn) has been charged by racing stewards over an alleged incident which reportedly took place at Newcastle Racecourse two weeks ago
Despite those charges, the trainer has alleged that Burke had assaulted his wife Carolyn.
He claims the racing official had ‘grabbed the lead out of my wife’s hand and put her forearm under her throat’. He said the pair had been walking their horses from the racecourse stalls towards their truck in the car park.
‘I spun around and said “don’t you f***ing touch my wife”,’ Roberts said, per The Sydney Morning Herald.
‘I pulled the lead out of [the investigator’s] hand and walked out with both horses. My wife was distraught… she was in tears.’
Carolyn Roberts stated that the official had tried to stop her from leading her own horse to the truck.
‘[She] said to me: “You can’t take that horse”,’ Carolyn said.
‘She put her hand on my upper arm to stop me from moving forward. Then she snatched the lead of the horse. With the lead in her hand, she then brought that arm up into my face. I’ve got her arm against my chin and my throat.
Police are now also investigating the incident while a Racing NSW stewards inquiry has been launched.
The incident is alleged to have involved Roberts, his wife and a female Racing NSW integrity unit official during the afternoon’s meeting
‘Police have been told that a 59-year-old woman had been struck to the chin by another woman on Saturday 26 April 2025,’ a spokesperson from NSW Police said, confirming that the couple had given a statement to officers.
The Sydney Morning Herald has revealed that former police officer Nikki Burke is the Racing NSW official involved in the matter and she denies Roberts’ allegation.
She claims that she hurt her wrist after the horse trainer, Roberts, walked one of his horses by her, with the animal making contact with the official.
Roberts is accused of pinning the passenger side door of his vehicle on the Racing NSW official as she attempted to inspect the vehicle. He is also alleged to have thrown a bag containing racing gear in the direction of Burke.
Roberts is also alleged to have acted aggressively and spoken improperly to the official.
Those allegations include not obeying instructions or directions to attend the steward’s room at the track, allegedly telling the official to: ‘Get stuffed, I can do what I want.’
The trainer has denied the claims and has claimed that Burke had not disclosed she was working as an NSW Racing official.
She later denied this was correct adding that she had made her identity clear and told him that she was going to inspect his truck – a routine check of
Roberts is also alleged to have acted aggressively and spoken improperly to the official, who is accused of also placing her forearm on the throat of his wife Carolyn
Recounting his version of events, he stated that she had begun searching his truck before entering the vehicle’s cabin.
He asked her to leave the truck before heading to assist his wife bring their horses back to the vehicle.
It was then that Carolyn had claimed the official had placed her arm on her throat.
Roberts told the Sydney Morning Herald that head of Racing NSW’s integrity unit Daniel Hadley had phoned him where he informed the official that ‘he didn’t know who Burke was’.
Another trainer Louise Munce is understood to have watched the alleged incident unfold, per The Sydney Morning Herald.
She said that the investigator was ‘right in his face’ and added that she thought Burke was a ‘disgruntled owner.’ She also claimed that she didn’t see Burke stop Roberts’ wife. Another witness claims to not have seen any physicality between both parties.
Racing NSW stated that they would not be able to comment on the ongoing matter.